Kathmandu, January 3:

At a seminar organised by Dharmodaya Sabha today, Prithvi Subba Gurung, Minister for Tourism, said the industries located between Bhairahawa and Lumbini will soon be asked to shift from the birthplace of Lord Buddha, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“Scores of industries — mainly manufacturing cement — have been eyesores to the scenic beauty and spiritual significance of Lumbini. They will be asked to shift soon,” he said.

He said the shifting will start in coordination with the Ministry of Industries. An international meeting had shown that many countries were committed in developing Lumbini as an international centre for Buddhism, he added. “Another international meeting will be held to collect resources for development and conservation of Lumbini by year-end,” he said, adding ADB recently sanctioned a $150 million fund, which will be utilised in constructing an international airport so as to promote tourism in Lumbini.

Kosh Prasad Acharya, Director General of the Department of Archaeology, said the main reason behind the failure to complete the Lumbini Master Plan was the inability of the position holders of the Lumbini Development Trust to collect resources.

“When the ambitious Master Plan for Lumbini was made with support from the UN, it was decided that the resources would be mobilised from different donor countries. But as the position holders failed to collect the resources, the government had to allocate the budget, which is almost impossible in our context,” he said.